Labeled

by Jenni Linn

  "Like what?"

  She waves her finger at me, "Nuh huh," then points at herself, "vault of secrets."

  I mull it over. I could use an opinion. What would it hurt to talk it out with someone, especially someone from outside? "Okay," I relent and she beams triumphantly, like she won a prize. "This stays between you and me," I point at her; completely serious.

  The smile quickly disappears and she puts her pointer, middle, and ring fingers up in front of her. "Scout’s Honor," she says seriously.

  I arch a brow. "Were you a scout?"

  She feigns shock. "Of course! You don't throw out the Scout's Honor in mockery." She smiles then leans in to whisper, "Troop thirty-four."

  It makes me laugh, and I realize I genuinely enjoy talking with Jade. There’s a fleeting thought of how different it would be if my feelings for Veronica didn't run so deep. Explaining the whole situation to Jade doesn’t seem as complicated as I remember, until the memory of how protective her brothers are comes into play. She doesn’t interrupt me once and lets me explain it all until I feel like I have it all out there.

  "Ehhh," She makes a face, "I don't wish to be you."

  "Thanks."

  She chuckles, "Okay, in all seriousness...why now? You've known her for, almost, her whole life. You come back from the military and--what?"

  "I can't explain it. It was almost like a punch in the gut. She took my breath away. Seeing her that night at the Field, I saw her in a way I never did before. She was always Vance's little sister, I always cared for her like that as well. We all protected her from the guys at school, but now it's like I need to protect her from me."

  "But protect her from what exactly? Are you intentionally planning on hurting her?"

  "No, but I'm sure I have."

  "So fix it," She shrugs like it's common sense.

  "I don't think it's that easy, and her brothers will kill me."

  "It is that easy. You fix it with her, and then you talk to them. Be upfront and honest. I'm sure they won't like it, but they may just surprise you with how they respond. You never know."

  "What if they don't? Vance wanted to murder this guy who simply asked her out. What if she doesn't accept my apology?"

  "What if they do, and what if she does? Isn't life just full of ‘what-ifs’? You don't want to live your life on ‘what-ifs’. They end being nothing but regrets."

  "I don't want things to change for the worse," I confess.

  "Well...haven't they kind of already?"

  Yes. Yes, they have. I don't know if things between V and I will ever be the same, so that's already botched. Jade is right though, I'll continue to wonder what would've happened had I owned up to my feelings for her. She could be the girl that I end up marrying--not that marriage is in my near future, but she could be it for me.

  My phone vibrates on the bar and the screen lights up with a message notification. Even though I didn't save Taylor's number, I recognize it. As soon as I open it, the regret hits me. A guttural groan leaves my mouth and I instantly want to throw up and punch something at the same time. The clatter of my phone dropping on the bar has Jade on her feet.

  "What's wrong?" she asks. I pinch the bridge of my nose with my left hand and turn my phone, so she can see the image of Veronica laughing with some guy sitting next to her in a booth. It looks like a diner. Like our first date.

  "I think this puts it in perspective, yeah?"

  I simply nod. She pats my back as she walks behind me, "Good luck."

  She’s already halfway down the bar. "Jade!" I yell to grab her attention and she turns slightly, pausing where she stands. "Thank you!" She gives me a thumbs up and continues on her way. I throw some cash down on the bar, then pull out my phone to send a text message to end the ‘what-ifs’.

  Distraction

  The past twenty-four hours have been a whirlwind of emotions. If this is exactly what my brothers were protecting me from and, now, I'll gladly let them continue to do so. All I know is that I never want to feel the way I've been feeling ever again. Foolish, naive, inexperienced, and heartbroken. Of course, Taylor has my back. Her anger is enough for the both of us.

  This morning, the hopeful and naive part of me expected Chase to drive up to my house, disregarding my seething words from yesterday. He'd grovel for forgiveness, apologizing profusely, explaining how stupid he is for throwing away a good thing. That was not the case. He never showed, and I don't even know why I hoped he would. I also never heard from him. By the end of the school day, I’m emotionally burnt out.

  After school, Taylor takes me to the garage and insists she'll stick around until I'm done. I promise her we won’t stay long because, truthfully, it’s the last place I want to be. She pushes that we are gonna have a much-needed girls evening even if it was even though it’s a school night. I am sincerely grateful to have her by my side.

  "Okay, where to?" Taylor asks me.

  "Anywhere but Chrissy's," I tell her. Sadly, I may not be able to step foot into Chrissy's diner for a long time. The thought alone upsets me. The pie…

  "Okay, I think I know just the place!" Tay interrupts my longing for the crusted dessert.

  "Drive onward!" I point forward.

  It doesn't take long to get where we were going--a popular burger joint right outside of town--that I've never been to. Since Chrissy's is a local diner, and a friend of my mother, I always felt obligated to go there. It doesn’t hurt that Chrissy's has some amazing food. Taylor finally finds a parking spot towards the back of the lot.

  "Well, it's packed. So, that's a good sign, right?" she says, turning her keys in the ignition.

  "Very," I respond and glance around. There’s a group of kids standing off towards the left, just hanging around.

  "I've always wanted to try their burgers. Everyone's been raving about it since they opened."

  "Seems like everyone else had the same thought tonight."

  We both exit her Jeep and head inside the busy restaurant, I follow behind her but nearly run right into her back. "Tay, what are you doing?" I ask, stepping around her.

  She glances around and shrugs. "Just seeing if there's anyone we know..." Then swings her head to the front of the building. "Looks like we're supposed to order first."

  Following her line of sight, I see a guy standing behind the counter wearing a red shirt with a large rocket on the front. The name is written across his chest and a red visor upon his head. He's watching us with a less than enthusiastic expression. I smile in an attempt to make him feel...I don't know, appreciated? It doesn’t work, his eyes only shift from me to the person standing in front of him. I didn’t even realize Taylor left my side. I move through the makeshift line, coming to stand next to her.

  "It's on me," Taylor says, and the bored employee looks at me.

  "Tay," I whine.

  "Zip it." She warns. Her voice is stern. With that, I know there's no use in arguing with her. I quickly give him my order and watch his hands move over the screen in front of him.

  "Twenty-four dollars and ninety-five cents," he says, his deep voice void of any emotion.

  "Chatty, aren't ya?" Taylor says, handing over her debit card. He glares at her slightly before sliding her card through the machine. She leans to me and whispers, "He has ‘promotion’ written all over him." I turn away in hopes that it hid my laughter well.

  "Someone will bring it out to you," I hear his deep monotone voice from behind me.

  "Thanks," Tay says, then joins me a second later, "See an open spot?"

  I scan the large room. Booths are lining the perimeter, and the tables with chairs are scattered throughout the middle. There's so much commotion that it requires me to stand on my tiptoes to look over some of the people who are standing, instead of sitting. A rowdy bunch of guys are occupying most of the tables in the middle. I’m assuming they're jocks because of the varsity jackets they're wearing.

  "Hmm..." Tay hums. "Maybe we should sit next to them," she suggests and points in the directio
n of the jackets.

  "Let's not." I object, an empty booth in the back corner catches my eye. "How about over there?" I point.

  "Really?" She asks scrunching up her face.

  "Yep," I say and start walking towards the table without even waiting for her response. I slide into the booth with my back towards the restaurant and a second later Tay slides in across from me.

  "Well, at least I can stare at something appealing."

  "Why, thank you," I jest, knowing she was not talking about me.

  She laughs at me. "You are the hottest piece of ass in this joint, besides me of course."

  "Of course. Hey, thanks for buying."

  "Just trying to get into your pants." She winks. "Is it working?"

  "Oh yeah, it’s working!"

  "You slut!"

  "Only for you, baby!"

  Taylor's eyes glance at something to my right, causing me to look over my shoulder. A young girl, wearing the same ensemble as the guy behind the counter is approaching us carrying a red tray with food upon it.

  "Hey girls," she greets with a smile, opposite from the guy at the register. They should switch positions. We both smile back. "I have one Rockin' Burger and one Deluxe Bacon Burger."

  "Yep," Taylor confirms. The young girl places the tray in the middle of the booth between us. "Great. Enjoy your meal!" She turns on her feet and walks away. Taylor doesn't hesitate to dig in. She grabs the large burger with both hands and takes a massive bite. She groans her approval, "V, this is so good."

  I grab mine and follow suit. The burst of flavor on my tongue has me moaning my approval. There's isn't much talking while we devour them, and what seemed like seconds--that were most likely minutes--fries were the only thing left on our plate.

  "We have to come back here," Tay suggests after sipping on her drink.

  "Definitely," I agree.

  "Oh my gosh, look who's here!" Taylor says with a fry hanging from her mouth.

  "Who?" I twist in my seat to look towards the door behind me. A group of kids just walked in, but I don’t recognize any of them, so I don't understand what Taylor is talking about until my eyes settle upon the last guy walking through the door. I turn to Taylor, eyes wide, "Did you plan this?" She smiles mischievously but says, "I may have mentioned that we were gonna check out this place."

  "And if I wanted to go elsewhere?"

  She shrugs, "I'd text him."

  "Wait, what? How do you have his number?"

  "I have my ways."

  "Why Tayyyy," I drag out her name in a whine.

  "Because I love you, and if it's not going to happen with Chase, I don't want you to miss out because he's an idiot."

  I sigh. "I'm going to kill you."

  "You'll miss me too much."

  The noise of moving tables and screeching chairs pulls our attention to the commotion. The jocks from earlier must have left and we didn't even notice; too immersed in our burgers to care. Devin and his friends have taken residence of the, now empty, table. I’m shamelessly watching Devin as he pulls a table closer to the other. It’s causing his lean muscles under his shirt to flex. He laughs at something his friend says, then his mouth falls in a lingering smile--a smile he's shown me a lot since Monday. It would be so easy to crush on someone like Devin if Chase wasn't in the picture. Devin is good looking. He’s funny, nice, smart, and all-around a good guy. Even though Chase has basically put an end to this whole thing, I can't help but still be hopeful, and that thought alone makes me feel so dumb. My appetite has disappeared as I stare down at my uneaten fries.

  "Stop. Finish," Taylor says across from the table, pulling my attention to her.

  "I'm full," I lie.

  "Woman, I paid for your meal, you better damn well eat it all"

  A smile forms on my lips involuntarily, "I love you, Tay."

  She rolls her eyes, "You're giving me whiplash. One minute you're planning to kill me, the next you love me."

  "It's just you. I'm surprised Wes has stayed with you for as long as he has.You must have a magical vagina." This causes Taylor to burst out in a loud boisterous laugh and now everyone around us is looking our way. "That's a good one, I'm going to have to take a mental note of that."

  "I know,” I flip my hair over my shoulder, “I’m hilarious."

  A figure approaches our table and grabs our attention. My eyes connect with warm brown ones. "Hey, Devin!" Taylor greets him cheerfully.

  "Hey, Taylor...Veronica," he greets her without looking her way.

  "Hey!" I greet him. I’m not sure what else to say. I'm taken off guard--this was a setup, and I wonder if he's aware of it.

  "May I?" he asks while gesturing next to me in the booth.

  "Oh yeah…of course." I scoot over so he can sit. He slides in close, his leg brushing mine, and I feel the warmth spread all over my body. Taylor is smiling so big she looks like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland.

  "How were the burgers?" Devin asks us, "I've been meaning to come to try this place out."

  "Yeah, us too. My burger was amazing," Taylor says from across from us while I remain quiet. Devin leans into me, bumping my shoulder with his arm. "What did you think?" he asks, looking at me and scanning my face. I'm not sure what for. I squirm under his gaze. "Good, really good," confirming what Taylor said. He smiles.

  "What?" I ask, slightly intimidated at his smile.

  He shakes his head, "Nothing, you're just cute."

  His compliment causes my breath to whoosh out of me. I feel all kinds of awkward. I've never taken compliments very well, "Thanks, you're cute too," I say lamely.

  He chuckles, "Good to know you think so."

  "Who are your friends?" a male voice interrupts us, pulling all our attention towards the imposing tall brunette boy with his arms crossed over his chest, standing at the end of the table.

  "Oh. Hey Mason, this is Veronica and Taylor." He gestures to us, then explains, "Mason is my knucklehead cousin."

  "Holdin' out, Dev."

  "Taken." Tay holds her finger up.

  "Shame,” Mason retorts.

  "Yep," Taylor agrees, and that makes us all laugh.

  With permission, he takes a seat next to Tay. We hang out with Devin and Mason for a while, talking about everything. They even eat with us and most of their friends have trickled over, too. We learned they all attend the nearby school that Devin transferred from. They’re a funny bunch, and my ribs hurt from laughing so much. It’s a much-needed distraction. Tay is quiet in her corner of the booth. It pulls my attention away from the conversation for a second. Her features pinched as her fingers moved over her phone.

  "Hey, what's wrong?" I ask her in a low voice. She quickly looks up at me and replies, "Nothing."

  "You sure?" I ask curiously, "You looked in deep thought."

  She shakes her head. "All is good."

  "Okay."

  We don’t leave the restaurant until they have to kick us out to close down. I’m engulfed in a large hug by Devin and a promise from him to see me at school. After everything, I find myself smiling on the way home.

  "I had fun," I say, mindlessly, on a slight high. Devin is nice.

  "Good, I'm glad," Taylor says.

  My phone pings, and I assume it's one of my brothers inquiring about my whereabouts, but it's not. It feels like my heart stops, and a gasp leaves my mouth.

  "What?" Taylor asks quickly, "Who's that?"

  "Chase."

  "What'd he say?"

  Taylor rolls to a stop at a red light, and I flip my phone towards her so she can see.

  "Well damn..." she says.

  I stare blankly at my phone, totally taken aback by the message displayed on my screen. This is all I wanted to see all day, but since Devin arrived, Chase hasn’t crossed my mind...until now.

  Stupid Over You

  I stare at his text, torn at the emotions singing through me. This is what I was hoping for, yet at the same time, I'm angry with him. I had a nice enjoyable night with Devin.
It’s almost like he knew that I could have something with someone else.

  I glance at it again.

  McSwoony: I'll be at your house at seven AM.

  I push on the power button, making the screen turn back to black. "Who does he think he is?" I say, to no one in particular. Taylor remains quiet. The light turns green and she presses on the gas pedal, making the Jeep move forward. "Like, seriously? I don't hear from him in what...two days? And now he thinks he can just text me like everything is peachy keen?" I huff, "I don't think so."

  "Are you going to respond?"

  "Yeah," I swipe open my phone, "I'm gonna tell him to go to hell."

  Tay laughs lightly, "Calm down."

  "Stupid. He's so stupid," My ranting continues.

  "Yeah. Stupid over you."

  "Isn't that a song?"

  "Stuucckkk on sttuppiiddd for yyoouu." We both bust out in song, stare back at each other, and then burst out laughing.

  "Damn. I needed that." I say wiping away the tears from my eyes. I grab the phone from my lap to send him a response.

  Me: No.

  "What did you say back?" Tay asks, making the turn onto my street.

  "I told him no."

  "Really?" she asks, surprised.

  "Yep." My phone pings, and I'm slightly surprised he responds so quickly. My heart rate has kicked up a notch.

  McSwoony: Yes. I will be there at seven to take you to school. We need to talk.

  He's not leaving it up for discussion--this I can tell. I sigh. "He wants to talk," I tell Tay. I look over at her and ask, "Should I talk to him?"

  She smirks, "Well, do you want to talk to him?"

  "No," I pause, and a puff of air escapes my lips, "Yes. Kind of?"

  "You do," she confirms.

  "I do. I just don't wanna be this yo-yo. He either wants me, or he doesn't...yanno?"

  She pulls into my driveway, "Then you tell him that."

  Instead of pulling up to the front, she parks towards the garages. Her phone lights up in the cup holder and she quickly glances down. "It's probably Wes." I watch her unlock her phone, a small smile playing on her lips when she reads whatever's on her screen, "oh shit girl...he really wants to talk to you." She flips her phone my way, and I snatch it from her hand whether she intended me to or not.